Men's Football Blog | 2013

“We always go to Seven Peaks because we live close to there. A couple times a week we’ll go for an hour or two and cool off during the summer. Hiking the Y is always a popular place to go. Ruby River, I was excited to come back and go to Ruby River. That’s the place.”

Coach Atuaia listed you as the toughest offensive coach. What are your thought on that?

“He’s messing with you. I wouldn’t take that seriously.”

Who do you think the toughest coach is?

“Toughest? I don’t know, we’re all pretty dedicated to what we’re doing. I’d give it to the chief, coach Anae, he’s probably doing this the longest. O-line guys are always tough playing (the position) and coaching it.”

What are you looking forward to most?

“Really it’s just the daily challenge of pushing myself and my guys to be the best that we can. Wherever we're at, it’s getting better and better every day. Obviously when you show up on Saturdays it’s a pretty exciting opportunity to display it in front of the TV, the crowd and the fans, but it’s that daily effort to push yourselves the furthest you can.”

Do you think the fans will enjoy the new offense?

“As long as we move the ball, I think they’ll enjoy it. Now if it’s three fast plays and a punt, not very much. If we’re moving the chains and getting up and down the field, you know, it will be a lot of fun to watch because there is less time between plays.”

“They’re tempered right now. I’m trying to make sure we get our guys aligned with what coach Anae and coach Mendenhall want us to do. Quite frankly, I believe we’re moving in that direction. There is always room for improvement. My expectations are we’re going to follow whatever they say.”

What is the next level for the running backs?

“Right now I think we can improve on a lot of things. We've got a lot of talented guys in our group, but if we just rest on those laurels we’re not going to go anywhere. I think we have a lot of opportunity now to get better."

“Recruiting never stops in this job, so we’ve been recruiting a lot and holding summer camps which are going on today. This job is always busy, and you’re always doing things. Different aspects of your job are done at different times of the year, so I don’t think our workload ever stops.”

Coach Robert Anae sat down to talk with us about the new offensive philosophy: Go hard. Go fast.

The new philosophy is rooted in Anae’s experience at the Univeristy of Arizona. When Rich Rodriguez became Arizona’s head coach, the system changed.

“How you conditioned in the off season, how you approached the weight room, how you practice, how you’re graded--that all changed,” Anae said. “I thought, ‘Dang. That would fit Bronco Mendenhall’s staff,’ because that’s exactly what he’s doing on the defensive side that promotes greatness.”

The application of the offensive philosophy will require more effort on the part of the players.

“Every guy in exit interviews said, ‘We had no idea. Oh my gosh, I’ve got to approach summer with a whole new mindset or this offense will throw me in the ditch,’” Anae said. “Every guy came out of spring with a new awareness that he’s gotta get stronger and faster. They [the players] said to every one of their position coaches, ‘I was not ready for this.’”

Receivers coach Guy Holliday is entering his first season at BYU, with 20 years of coaching experience, and already has the heart of a Cougar.

“I’m a Cougar, and I’m not going to let you disrespect what’s happened here in the past or the future,” Holliday said of critics. “You’re not going to sit here and walk over us, and that’s the bottom line.”

As a newcomer to Provo, he is pleased with what he has seen so far.

“I’ve had a chance to work at a lot of places, but I think the main difference I’ve seen here is that, obviously you have a little more mature players and just the whole value system,” Holliday said. “Things you don’t have to worry about managing are a pleasure to be around.”

Holliday has high expectations for his players, and he will not accept anything less.

“Demand it,” Holliday said. “If they don’t do what you want, they don’t play… So you just demand it.”

Bronson joined the BYU men’s basketball team during the 2012-13 season and as a result, got into better shape and can now “run like a deer.” Despite worries about injuries during the basketball season, Kaufusi allowed his son to make his own decisions.

Bronson even made a name for himself with his football nature on the basketball court and Kaufusi teased him about it as well.

“I’d tell him his job is to go in there and foul out,” Kaufusi joked. “I said, ‘Look, (Gonzaga) has a guy who’s supposed to be all that, well put him on the ground when you get a chance.’”

Aside from being excited about Bronson, Kaufusi is also grateful to be able to work at BYU with a calling as a bishop as well.

“I pinch myself everyday and ask myself, ‘Do I work here?’” Kaufusi said. “Sometimes we forget to smell the roses and look around a little bit and enjoy the blessings that we have working at a place like this.”

New offensive line coach Garett Tujague wants his offensive linemen to hit the ground running as the season gets started in the fall.

“They have to get in and get their feet wet,” he said. “There’s no standing on the side and watching. You can be a vicarious learner, get in the film room and do those kinds of things, but you have to get out there and do it.”

In his first year on the staff, Tujague faces the challenge of coaching a young offensive line and wants them to show him first that they are ready to fight in the trenches.

“Each one of our guys coming in has to demonstrate that they have a hard edge, that they can go out on the field and cross the line and get after it and be a nasty football player,” he said.

Tujague, who played on BYU’s offensive line in the early 90's, knows the only way his athletes will be able to do that is by putting in extra effort.

“They can control their effort,” he said. “There are few things in life that we really have control over, and we can control our effort and we can control our attitude.”

After it was announced by athletic director Tom Holmoe that head coach Bronco Mendenhall’s contract had been extended through the 2016 season, Mendenhall sat down with the media and discussed some of the details of his contract and his reasons for extending.

Mendenhall said the details in his contract are different than any other coach in college football.

“Normally contracts are tied to revenue, meaning how much money you make is comparable to how many wins, it’s compared against the national average, it’s compared against a top-25 ranking; but none of those things are relevant to BYU,” he said. “BYU has its own existing structure that’s different in every way when you’re negotiating contracts. Ultimately you have to have a really strong core value that BYU is different and you want to be here.”

After becoming an independent two seasons ago, the Cougars have headed what Mendenhall calls, “uncharted waters.” This season, BYU faces new challenges of a complete revamping of an offensive coaching staff and one of the most difficult schedules in the country. Mendenhall feels as he faces these challenges, he is the one to lead the team.

“I have not chosen to stay here for a conference or for money. If that would have been the case I would have left two contracts ago,” he said. “I am here because I think I am supposed to be here, and I want to be here. This decision (to extend) was just based on that. I think I’m supposed to be the one to lead the program into those uncharted waters.”

Quarterbacks Taysom Hill and Ammon Olsen first joined Dave McCann in the BYUtv studio to discuss injury reports and player outlooks. Both claim to be 100 percent for the upcoming season after receiving knee injuries during the 2012 season and offseason.

Hill feels that he needs to continue to showcase his running talents and hopes that all of the hard work in the offseason will pay off as they face Virginia in the season opener Aug. 31. Olsen credits the strength of his defense for preparing him and says the whole team is working hard to get ready for a successful season.

Both feel that Skyler Ridley and Mitch Matthews will make a big impact on the receiving end of the field and will also hand off to some stable running backs in veteran Michael Alisa and sophomore Jamaal Williams.

The BYU defense ranked in the top five in five national defensive categories at the end of the 2012 season and will look to replace a few key players this season. Defensive players Craig Bills and Bronson Kaufusi met with McCann to discuss the team defense.

Kaufusi credited basketball for keeping him in shape during the offseason, and Bills said the whole football team was excited to see him on the basketball court. In answer to a fan question, Kaufusi said that there is definitely more pressure and focus under the lights of the Marriott Center as opposed to being hidden under his helmet at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Running backs Alisa and Williams appeared next with McCann. Alisa, who is coming back from a season-ending arm injury last year, said that the experience humbled him and made him more grateful than ever to be a BYU football player. Both guys are looking forward to a new offensive set up and a revamped offensive line.

McCann took a break from interviewing players to discuss the team’s bowl bid for 2013 which will feature BYU vs. a Pac-12 team on Dec. 27 on ESPN in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Pre-season All-Americans Cody Hoffman and Kyle Van Noy joined McCann to wrap up player interviews. Hoffman updated the viewers on his shoulder surgery and rehab, saying that he’s been able to recover and hopes to be at full strength before the start of the season. Hoffman is close to breaking Austin Collie’s records in career receptions, career receiving yards and career receiving touchdowns.

Van Noy will return for his senior year and knows that every opponent they face will be working hard to beat them. He says the team needs to look at the bigger picture and wake up every day with the mentality to go forward and improve.

BYU football analyst Blaine Fowler joined McCann to close out the show and look at the season prospects.

Stay tuned on BYUtv for more Media Day football shows and check the Media Day Central page for more information.

We very seldom meet as a defensive staff where there’s not music playing. Usually a mix of old-time classic rock-and-roll. A little Led Zeppelin, Bob Seger, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I also like some reggae music and island music. As far as the food snacks, it’s usually sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Who is the toughest coach on the defensive staff?

On the field coaching--probably Coach Howell. I think he probably works his guys a little harder than all of us. As far as toughest, I can take any of them. Put me in a room with any of them—just kidding.

What are you looking forward to most about this season?

Just watching our kids perform. It’s so fun to work with them week in and week out. I think back on last season and games like the Boise State game, San Diego State in the bowl game, the Georgia Tech game—those games where we just executed so well and kept opponents from scoring touchdowns, and just watching your kids perform is what we look forward to.

Who’s poised for a break-out year?

I would say Uani Unga. He played quite a bit last year behind Uona Kaveinga. He got some good reps and playing experience. A lot of people don’t know who he is yet on a wide basis. I feel like he’s going to be one of those guys that will break out and have a great year.

On the 2013 season: "I do know this program can achieve more. I am very confident in what's already been done and proud of what's been done, but I want more. The players want more."

On graduated players: "We talk about players that we've lost, for eight years we've been in the top 25 defensively every year, and so it is just the next version. We don't know yet who all the names and faces will be, but we do know the outcome."

On contract extension: "I didn't see myself being a long-time college football coach. I was pretty overwhelmed with what the pace was and the pressures. However, I like it."

Trevor Matich

On the 2013 BYU team: "I expect them to be one of the most exciting teams in the country. I expect them to be relevant nationally because of the way the schedule shakes out."

BYU football's three big announcements:

First Announcement

Tom Holmoe: "One of the things we're looking forward to in the future is playing big-time teams, and we've been able to ink an agreement with the University of Southern California. We'll play three games with them, twice down in L.A. We'll start the series off in Provo."

Second Announcement

Tom Holmoe: "We're going to be back in San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl [in 2015]. A lot of the traditions of BYU Football started in San Diego, and it was great for us to go back last year."

3rd Announcement:

Tom Holmoe: "We've agreed to terms on a new contract that would take [Bronco Mendenhall] through the 2016 season. It's important for me, as the athletic director, but I think more importantly our football program, fans, our university, our student-athletes, our future football players that this great football program continues."